Energy securityMicroreactors for Resilient Power in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is home to 3.2 million American citizens, with all the energy needs of a modern economy. Most of the territory’s power, however, is generated by facilities dating from the 1960s, which is nearly thirty years older on average than mainland U.S. power plants. To meet the island’s energy demand without the need for more fossil fuels, one promising candidate is the use of microreactors.
The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico is home to 3.2 million American citizens, with all the energy needs of a modern economy. Most of the territory’s power, however, is generated by facilities dating from the 1960s, which is nearly thirty years older on average than mainland U.S. power plants. Given the age of its energy infrastructure, and with nearly all of Puerto Rico’s electricity generation coming from imported fossil fuels, it faces unique challenges when it comes to maintaining a functional grid in the event of an emergency. Further complicating the issue is the expected need to retire nearly three-quarters of its power generation fleet in the next decade.
The challenges of maintaining Puerto Rico’s electrical system were underscored in 2017 when Hurricane Maria struck, knocking out power to the entire island. The lack of electricity and other services was a factor in more than 3,000 deaths following the storm, and it was months before the majority of residents had power again. Three years later, Puerto Rico is still in the process of recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Maria, and the territory faces the challenge of building a more resilient electrical grid that can operate cost-effectively.
Energy Independence and Microreactors
INL says that the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority has begun addressing the challenge of energy independence with an Integrated Resources Plan that calls for a steady increase of renewables as well as natural gas. Yet the baseload, or minimum amount of electricity needed, is high enough that it is difficult to meet relying primarily on variable sources such as wind and solar power. To meet the demand without the need for more fossil fuels, one promising candidate is the use of microreactors.
Microreactors differ from traditional nuclear reactors in several important ways. They are smaller and simpler to deploy, and they can be easily transported to remote locations in the event of a disaster or to support more permanent microgrids. For example, remote Alaskan communities have been proposed as potential use cases for microreactors. Their inherent safety and ease of operation have drawn increasing interest from government and private companies.
“To match potential customers to microreactors, consideration should be given to the local types of energy demands, market conditions including energy price premiums, access to energy, resilience of industry to meet international standards, as well as to vulnerabilities from climate change and energy supply disruptions,” said David Shropshire of INL’s Emerging Energy Market
